


i loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us

by fairestevies



Series: all at once, this is enough [7]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: But mostly hurt/comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, also support!! system!!!, and some angst?, basically just filling in more gaps from d3!!!, with a happy ending of course
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:00:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25997911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairestevies/pseuds/fairestevies
Summary: "The corners of Evie’s mouth lifted slightly for a moment before falling again. “I’m thinking of going back too...” she admitted, watching his face fall."Evie processes the thought of the barrier closing permanently... and then the idea of the barrier opening permanently.
Relationships: Doug/Evie (Disney: Descendants), Evie & Jay (Disney), Evie & Mal (Disney)
Series: all at once, this is enough [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1765342
Comments: 12
Kudos: 26





	i loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us

**Author's Note:**

> This is MUCH longer than I intended it to be, but I feel like these conversations needed to happen, especially between Mal and Evie. I love them all but they've got to be so tired, poor kids give them a break, please!! Anyway, hope you enjoy!
> 
> Title from Taylor Swift's "Dancing With Our Hands Tied."

Evie’s stiff arms fell to her sides, causing a shooting pain throughout her entire body. Her legs ached, mostly in her knees, as she tried to loosen them up enough to move. Slowly turning her head to look around, she saw Carlos, Jay, and Ben were doing the same, stretching their limbs in confusion. 

That’s when Evie remembered what had happened: Mal confessed to lying about bringing more kids to Auradon, revealing that the barrier was going to be closed for good. Celia, Uma, and Harry had run off just before Audrey’s curse had caught up to them, turning Evie, Ben, Jay, and Carlos to stone.

Evie choked back the tears she felt welling up again. She couldn’t even look at Ben, let alone think about how he could agree to this after working so hard to bring the four of them over not long ago. 

Thinking about Mal hurt Evie the most, though. She was her best friend, her _family._ They had been through everything together, and her deciding to close the barrier caused the aching in her chest. 

_That, and the fact that she had just been a statue._

Evie had to get out of there, refusing to listen to the “How could you?” that Jay questioned and the “Ben, come on,” that Carlos sighed. She crossed her arms and started walking as fast as her aching legs would move, no destination in mind. 

Jay saw Evie dart off and quickly caught up, throwing his arm around her. He didn’t want to face Ben either right now but had no idea what he could say to make the situation better. Evie’s slowed pace and sigh as she leaned into him reassured that she knew he was there for her. 

“We’ll figure something out,” he encouraged, though he was uncertain of the truth to his statement. 

Carlos tried to reason with Ben from behind, following the two along at a distance far enough to miss the sniffles and few soft sobs that escaped their mouths. 

* * *

“The knights were pretty cool, even though they tried to kill us...” Gil explained as he walked. “My favorite thing about this place is the fruit, though.”

Doug chuckled as they walked across campus. They had been waiting with Jane by the museum for a while, given that her mother was a statue. It was saddening to see Fairy Godmother like that, especially her daughter’s reaction, but Jane’s excitement when the spell was lifted made up for it. She took her mother home to rest, so Doug and Gil had ventured off to find the others again. 

Doug liked Gil; he wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box, but he made for good company. Though they were almost complete opposites, they also found that they had some things in common.

“Heard anything from Jay?” Gil asked, noticing Doug checking his phone once again. Though, Doug wasn’t quite sure why he asked about Jay, specifically. 

“Nothing yet... and I’ve texted Evie a few times. I hope they’re okay.”

“You’re living every Isle kid’s dream,” Gil smirked, patting him on the back.

“Yeah, I know...” Doug blushed. “I’m lucky.”

“But, I’m sure they’re alright,” Gil continued. “Don’t tell Uma I said this, but they’d make pretty great pirates.”

Doug nodded, smiling until they saw some figures emerging from the path to the forest. He looked over at Gil quickly, before they started to walk faster in that direction. 

There was no Uma, Mal, Harry, or Celia, but it was definitely Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Ben walking towards them. As they got closer, Doug could see Jay’s arm around Evie. She looked upset, leaning on his shoulder, and Ben and Carlos were walking a reasonable distance behind them. 

Evie’s face softened when she saw him, unfolding her crossed arms while walking into his open ones. “Hi,” she whispered, hugging him tight and resting her chin on his shoulder. 

“Hey,” Doug spoke, hugging her back. “I was getting worried that I hadn’t heard from you...” She didn’t say anything but shifted her head in response. Her cheeks felt damp against his skin.

Doug looked to Jay, who was giving him a worried look. It seemed like he may have been crying too, and even Carlos, Doug noticed as he and Ben finally caught up. 

“What happened?” Doug asked at the same time that Gil said, “Where are Uma and Harry?”

“Things, uh, got a little _rocky_ for a second...” Carlos explained. 

Ben’s phone rang, and he answered almost immediately, walking away from the rest of the group. Carlos followed, not wanting Ben to go off by himself, the sting of betrayal still sour in the air between them. 

Jay nodded towards Gil, motioning for them to step to the side so he could explain the current situation to him, not wanting Evie to have to hear it again.

Doug refocused his attention on Evie, rubbing his hand up and down her back. She finally brought her head up to face him. The area around her eyes was slightly red and puffy, but somehow her makeup hadn't smudged a bit. 

Evie swiped a tear from her cheek and gave him a quivering smile before speaking. “Ben and Mal are closing the barrier for good... and she’s been lying about bringing more kids over this whole time...”

Doug wasn’t sure what emotion his face was expressing, but it was undoubtedly a mixture of shock, hurt, and anger. He hated seeing her like this, and knowing it came from their friends and _her family_ caused his blood to boil. “What?!”

Evie nodded, laying her head back down on his shoulder. “I can’t believe she would do this.. and lie to me...”

Doug hugged her tighter. “I’m so sorry... I know how much this means to you...”

Ben and Carlos shortly returned from the phone call with worried looks on their faces. Doug couldn’t help but glare at his best friend of many years. He barely believed Ben would agree to this; Bringing kids over from the Isle was Evie’s dream now, but it was Ben’s dream first.

“Uhh... we gotta go,” Carlos breathed shakily. He and Ben looked like they had just seen a ghost. The other four looked at them in confusion. 

“That was Mal...” Ben started, fumbling over his words. “Something’s wrong... Something happened with Audrey... She’s not breathing...”

“Oh my gosh,” Evie gasped, standing up straight. “Where are they?”

“They’re in her room now, I think,” Ben flustered. “Uma and Harry are there too.”

Jay nodded towards the dorms, “Let’s go.” Ben and Gil quickly began to follow him across campus. 

Evie turned to look back at Doug’s worried expression. “I’m gonna go with them,” she stated quickly, “but if the spell is broken, that means Dizzy and the twins could have woken up-”

Doug knew where she was heading. “I’ll go there,” he interjected. “You go help with Audrey.”

Evie nodded and went to lead Carlos towards the others, but he stopped. 

“Wait, is Jane okay?” He asked, with a concerned look in his eyes. 

Doug quickly nodded, much to Carlos’ relief, and watched Evie pull her friend off towards the others, as he headed in the direction of her house. 

* * *

Evie’s heart felt heavy as she walked through the dorm hallways, adding weight to her already layered outfit as her boots boomed across the wooden floors. 

Mal had apologized for how things went down between lying and wanting to close the barrier for good. Evie hadn’t quite forgiven her, but she acknowledged that she understood why Mal had done it.

What unexpectedly hurt the most, though, was having to wave off Celia and the pirates as they returned to the Isle of the Lost, forever. 

Evie felt sick trying to stomach that information. They didn’t deserve to be stuck there. Not many people did. 

She had wandered the halls after they drove off, not really sure where to go with her thoughts, before plopping down on a cushioned bench nearby. 

Mal must not have walked by the perpendicular hallway to Audrey’s room fast enough, because she noticed Evie out of the corner of her eye. 

Evie cursed her red outfit, replacing the usual blue that would have blended in perfectly with the walls. She didn’t feel like talking to her right now. 

“E, I’m so sorry,” Mal started, wiping a tear from her eye as she walked towards her. “I didn’t want to do that to you... or the boys.” She sat down next to Evie, despite the look of contempt on her friend’s face. “God, I didn’t want to send _Uma,_ and her crew, and Celia back to the Isle, either.” 

Mal’s tears were falling more frequently now, and Evie’s face softened slightly, seeing her hurt like this.

“I know you didn’t,” Evie spoke calmly, trying her hardest for her voice not to waver. It still didn’t sit right with her, thoughts of the Isle residents swirling around in her head- some returning permanently, and some stuck there forever without a glimpse of how life could look. 

“You could’ve come to me,” she spoke bolder now. “I would’ve helped you make sure it never got to this point.”

“I know,” Mal quivered. “I should’ve, but I didn’t, and now I’ve hurt everyone...”

Evie stayed quiet, unsure of what to say, but she did open her arms to Mal in hopes of easing her pain. They stayed there for a minute, as Mal’s tears slowed a little, rolling down the shoulder of Evie’s vest. 

“I’m thinking of going back too,” Evie finally admitted, the thought having crossed her mind a few times. She was sure she could convince Jay to come with, maybe even Carlos. If they couldn't give VKs a better life in Auradon, maybe they could do it on the Isle.

Mal sat up immediately from her spot leaning on Evie’s chest. “E....”

“I can’t just leave them there, M... all those kids.” She paused for a moment, putting her head in her hands. “And what about Dizzy and the twins? I mean, _when_ were you planning on telling everyone?”

“I don’t know!” she admitted. “I’m trying to run a Kingdom, here, I can’t just announce it with no plan!” Her voice croaked like the frogs outside of Ben’s castle. “I had to save the kingdom from a sleeping spell, and now I have to make sure Audrey is still alive. So, _I don’t know_ , Evie, I hadn’t been able to give it much thought.”

Evie sighed. Mal was right too; they’d had a busy few days. Evie put her hand on Mal’s for support. 

" _And_ I have to bring my estranged father over here to rescue Audrey’s soul.” she continued, “Then, put a smile on my face and show up to my engagement party, so no one knows that the whole kingdom is in shambles!”

Evie had nearly forgotten about the engagement party. Her head throbbed as she tried to process everything. 

“Okay, okay,” she spoke, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. “One thing at a time. You go back to Audrey’s room with Ben. I’m sure you can convince Hades to help. I’ll make sure everything is set for the party...” she trailed, though it didn’t feel right, a party in the middle of all of this. 

Mal nodded, gathering herself. “Okay, yeah. Thank you.” 

“Let me know how it goes,” Evie added, squeezing her hand before they parted ways.

But the conversation wasn’t over, Evie decided. Thoughts of how to fix this jumbled in her head on her journey home. It was almost morning, she noticed, as the dark sky above began to lighten at the horizon. 

She sighed as she entered her door, a single light shining from the television, illuminating the couch and casting a shadow on the figure that laid there. 

“Evie?” Doug asked, turning his head to see her familiar features walk into the light of the TV. 

“Hey,” she sighed, walking over to him as he stood to envelop her in another hug. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, feeling comforted by the kiss he placed on the side of her head. 

“Where are the kids? Are they okay?”

Doug blushed briefly at the way she said it. “In bed. They were pretty groggy from the sleeping spell. I guess it’s different when you wake up from a spell on your own...”

Evie let out a breathy laugh as they both sat down on the couch, thinking about how she woke him earlier.

“How’s Audrey?” Doug asked, taking one of her hands. 

“Still the same...” Evie explained, kicking off her boots and curling her knees to her chest. She propped her head up with her free hand as she told the plan of how Hades was to wake Audrey hopefully, and how Celia and the pirates had gone back to the Isle.

Doug’s thumb rubbing across the back of her hand made what she was going to say next even harder, but she had to be honest.

“I can see your gears still turning in there...” He joked, knowing she had more on her mind. 

The corners of Evie’s mouth lifted slightly for a moment before falling again. “I’m thinking of going back too...” she admitted, watching his face fall. She should’ve expected it to hurt this much. 

“I don’t know what else to do...” Evie continued. “There’s just so many kids there, Doug, and they’re never going to get a chance...“ Evie stopped as her throat grew tight, tears welling in her eyes now. 

“I’ll go with you,” Doug finally spoke, squeezing her hand. 

Evie smiled sadly and shook her head as she blinked her tears away. “No, you’re not. You’re going to _college_.... you have a life here.”

“So do you,” He pointed out softly, and Evie sighed, pursing her lips. 

“I know...”

After a moment, Doug asked, “When are they closing it?”

Evie shrugged. “In a few days, I guess... I just... I can’t let them do it.” 

Doug nodded, intertwining his fingers with hers. “I’m with you, whatever you need me to do.”

She smiled, shifting her position so her head was resting on his shoulder. “Thank you.” She knew she wasn’t going to get any sleep, but she closed her eyes anyway to try. Her day had been hectic, to say the least, and now she had a lot to think about. It wasn’t long before the sun began to shine through her windows, making it even harder to rest. Evie shifted to get more comfortable in Doug's arms, which he eagerly welcomed. 

Doug played with her hair as she laid on his chest, trying to process everything she had told him. He understood why she would need to go, but he sure was going to do everything he could to make sure the barrier didn’t close permanently. It wasn’t fair to everyone on the Isle. And he didn’t want to lose her. 

Evie’s phone dinged loudly, causing her to sit up a tad. She read the texts from Mal aloud: 

_**Audrey is alright!** _

_**Thank you for helping with the party** _

_**Please come- I have an idea on how to make it up to you** _

_**To everyone** _

Doug and Evie pondered the messages for a moment, trying to figure out what they meant.

“What now?” Doug asked. 

Evie shrugged. “I guess we go... and act like everything is normal.” 

* * *

“Do you ever miss them?” Evie asked, hands holding on tightly to Mal and Carlos as they stared across the bridge. 

What a day it had been. Mal wasn’t lying when she said she had a plan to make it up to everyone- breaking down the barrier was surely the way to do that. Merging the two lands was going to require some more work, but for now, Evie just let herself enjoy it. 

And she did- the adrenaline rush of Isle kids crossing the bridge was insane. There was music and dancing, and it felt like their last tiny piece of home was fulfilling their lifelong puzzle. Well, that was until they noticed three specific villains who had been missing from the impromptu welcome party. 

Jay, Mal, Evie, and Carlos had decided they should probably make sure their parents weren’t up to anything, and Ben agreed. He was going to get started on figuring out temporary living arrangements for the kids.

So they ran across the bridge, Jay and Carlos heading towards their parents individually, while Mal decided to stick with Evie. 

“You ready?” Mal asked as they stood in front of the door to the Evil Queen’s home. 

Evie gave her a wary smile. She'd seen this place a few times since leaving but had never been inside to see her mother. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door, straightening her dress nervously as she waited. 

“Come in!” The two girls heard from inside as the door clicked unlocked. Evie thought her mother must have upgraded the place... until she saw the inside. 

Mal and Evie walked into a bit of a mess. It was the same furniture Evie remembered, just dusty, and the pillows were scattered everywhere, along with papers and so much _stuff_ Evie didn’t recognize. She was the one who had done most of the cleaning, after all.

Evie's eyes scanned the room, her breath hitching in her throat when she saw the Evil Queen sitting at her vanity. Mal placed a hand on her shoulder for support. 

“Hi, mom,” Evie finally spoke, causing EQ to turn around quickly. 

“Evie?!” she questioned, clearly not expecting her. 

Evie studied her mother’s face- something was different. It was certainly the same face that used to haunt her mind when she had first come to Auradon; her mother’s rules always a constant reminder of how to act. But her mother looked different now. Evie couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but maybe it was an increase in the amount of makeup she applied to hide her creases. The Isle didn’t have the best quality of products either, she remembered, but her mother also looked... lonely?

“Oh, Evie!” Her mother exclaimed, though her face barely showed any expression. “ _Look_ at you!”

Evie smiled through closed lips, suddenly feeling uncomfortable under her gaze again. 

“Your dress is just _fabulous_ ,” her mother continued, motioning to her outfit. 

“Thanks, mom,” Evie smiled, this time meaning it. Maybe visiting her mother wasn’t so bad, after all. Had she changed? Evie had yet to hear an insult or backhanded compliment. 

“And that crown,” the Evil Queen added, looking at the accessory atop Evie’s head, “too bad it isn’t real.”

_And there it is..._

Evie sighed; she knew it was too good to be true.

“Now _that_ crown...” EQ continued, pushing her daughter aside to get a look at Mal, “That crown is _magnificent_. Is it heavy?”

Mal laughed uncomfortably as she ducked out of EQ’s reach. “Not as heavy as the responsibility it holds.”

Evie thought she heard her mother's chuckle. “Maleficent would be impressed,” EQ added. 

Mal smiled. She hoped she would, though it didn’t unfold the way they originally planned it. 

Evie zoned out a bit, as her mom talked to Mal about what it was like being Queen of Auradon. Mal had proved herself today, but Evie knew this was just her mother's way of reminding her of her lack of royal status, which was once her sole purpose for leaving the Isle.

Thankfully, Mal noticed it too and brought the conversation back to Evie and everything she’s accomplished as well- from helping to bring more VKs over, to her fashion business and very own starter castle. 

“Ah, yes...” The Evil Queen continued, “the one you bought with that _boy_. It looks... cozy.”

Evie rolled her eyes as her hands found their way back to her hips; her frustration pose. “I actually bought it all on my own,” she reminded her mother, ignoring that she called it cozy just to mess with her, "with the money from my very successful clothing line."

“It’s very roomy,” Mal added with a laugh, hoping the situation didn’t escalate. “There’s enough space for the four of us, plus the new VKs-“

_“And the dwarf?”_

Evie huffed. It’d been a while since she’d been under the heat of her mother’s words, but she didn’t expect it to happen so soon into their reunion. “He doesn’t liv-“

“Seems a little weak to have to rely on you for a castle, and I’ve yet to get an invite to _my_ wing of the place...” her mother continued, seemingly unbothered by her daughter's frustration. 

Evie crossed her arms now. Relying on her for a castle was exactly what her mom was doing, not Doug. Maybe visiting was a bad idea- she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, where her favorite blush already resides. 

“He is _not_ weak,” she protested. Sure, physically, Doug was not the strongest, but that didn’t make him weak. Especially with all the stuff she’d thrown at him recently. 

The Evil Queen scoffed in response. Evie couldn’t even believe her mom was acting like this. She didn’t even _know_ him, besides what she’d seen of the two of them on Auradon News, the Isle's only TV channel. And since her mother had been keeping tabs on her, couldn’t she see that her daughter was happy? Was that not enough?

Evie calmed herself with a deep breath, letting her arms fall to her sides. She didn’t need to get riled up over this, so instead, she said the first thing that came to mind. “He wants to meet you, you know.”

This seemed to catch her mother by surprise, so Evie kept going. “We were thinking next week, as long as you weren’t up to something, which is why Mal and I are here,” she emphasized, not wanting her mother to think she had missed her insulting nature. “Unless you’re too _afraid_ to face your past and dine with the son of a dwarf...”

_If there's one thing her mother hated, it was being seen as less than someone else. And wrinkles._

Luckily, her mother agreed before she had to go any further, and Evie smiled at her small victory. It wasn’t a complete lie, per se. Evie was sure Doug _did_ want to meet her mom at some point, but maybe not so soon into the barrier's closing. 

By some grace, the Evil Queen’s dismay towards her daughter fizzled after Evie put her in her place. She didn’t exactly apologize, but Evie could tell she gained some respect from her mother. 

Evie and Mal headed out not long after, the rest of their conversation going smoother than it had at the beginning, though a bit awkward. It was much later than they expected, the Isle looking dark and gloomy once again. It was rather empty, but not in an ominous way. They presumed most of the Isle’s residents had already crossed the bridge, excited to experience life in Auradon. 

Well, not _everyone_ was on board, as some would take time to warm up to the idea of mingling with Auradon residents, the supposed enemy. The girls remembered this as some of the Isle’s more verbally aggressive members recognized them on their way to meet Carlos and Jay. Not everyone on the Isle thought highly of the four.

Evie tried to ignore the name-calling, she really did, but the reminders of things she’d done in the past haunted her even once they found their friends and crossed the bridge. 

_Great, another thing she needed to come to terms with._

* * *

Evie creaked the front door of her home open again, hoping not to wake anyone. It was nearly a repeat of the night before, her heart carrying multiple burdens. Not only did she have to tell Doug that he was going to meet her mother next week- his family’s direct enemy- but she also realized why she had kept Doug away from the Isle in the first place. 

It was no secret that Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay had been to the Isle multiple times since moving to Auradon, especially recently when preparing for VK Day. Hell, even Ben and Lonnie had been to the Isle, though it wasn’t planned. But Evie made sure Doug was never included in the group that crossed the bridge each time. She wasn’t sure if it was something he wanted to do, but she hadn’t given him a chance. 

Eventually, she knew he would have to see it, where she grew up, the place she had called home for so long. But that would include loads of sympathy and vulnerable conversations she didn't want. The Isle's grimy nature tended to shock first-time visitors no matter how much they'd heard beforehand. Yes, they'd talked about how the Isle affected her life in Auradon, and she'd come to terms with that, but she hadn't admitted _all_ of who she had been to him.

Now, though, there was no more barrier, and nothing keeping her Isle life from her Auradon life. 

She walked in slowly, focusing on quieting the click of her heels to distract her from her thoughts. It was hard to see with the lack of moonlight or dim television flash. With a squint, she could see a figure sitting up on the floor, surrounded by lots of... _smaller figures?_

As she hoped, the figure sitting, now standing, up was Doug. 

“Haven’t you slept on the floor enough recently?” Evie teased in a whisper as he made his way to her, stepping over the kids asleep on the floor. 

Doug snickered. “The beds were all full.” Evie looked around, noticing more kids than she had before, sprawled across blankets and the couches in her living room. “We sent as many as we could with Ben to the castle and the dorms, but a lot of them wanted to come here,” he explained. 

Evie’s lips stretched as far as they could into a smile, her eyes getting a little teary. Her heart was so happy seeing so many kids from the Isle here. They may be sleeping on the floor at the moment, but they were _safe_ here, she would make sure of it.

“Thank you,” she gleamed, grabbing hold of his hand and leaning into him. His free arm wrapped around her waist, and she sighed, remembering what had been weighing on her mind. 

“Can we talk?”

Doug’s arm halted its soft tracing of her back. “Yeah,” he nodded, stepping back to face her. “Did I do something wrong?”

Evie shook her head immediately, hoping to reassure the confusion in his voice. “Not at all... I just need to get something off my chest.”

Doug nodded again, slightly worried as he followed her across the house towards her bedroom door. Evie opened the door slightly, stopping when she noticed someone on the far side of her bed. “Oh... uh... I figured it’d be okay if Dizzy slept in here, so some other kids could use her room...” Doug noticed Evie’s smile, and he felt better about his decision. “But this room was off-limits,” he added, leading her next door to the Evies4Hearts office. 

It was the same as they’d left it the other day, having had to run off to stop Audrey’s curse from boarding them in there. Doug helped her up onto the table before sitting next to her, blushing as she fiddled with his fingers, unaware. 

“What’s up?”

She didn’t even really know where to start, Doug noticed when no words found their way out of her open mouth. He put his arm around her so she could rest her head on his shoulder, rubbing her arm for support. He realized she probably hadn't slept in days, and running around saving the Kingdom didn't exactly energize you.

Evie sighed into him, thankful for his comfort in more ways than one. "It was different going back to the Isle today..."

"Yeah?" Doug soothed, continuing to graze her arm. "How so?"

“I ran into some people that aren't... too fond of me,” Evie started, recounting what had happened earlier in her head, taking a deep breath. "The four of us aren't exactly _everyone's_ favorite people there."

"Is this about your mom?" He wondered, asking carefully. Evie didn't like talking about her much, so he knew seeing her again must have affected her.

But he was surprised to see her shake her head. She sat up to face him, though she still avoided eye contact. "No... I've done some things I'm not proud of, Doug... I've hurt people..." Evie stopped herself as the emotions she was feeling became too much. And my _gosh_ , she was tired. A tear escaped her eyelid as her head slowly returned to Doug's shoulder, and she closed her eyes. Sighing, she whispered, "I guess I just never wanted you to see it."

Doug understood now; the barrier closing meant more than just kids coming from the Isle. It involved him seeing her past in its entirety. Of course, he was up for it, but it seemed like Evie needed some reassurance.

"I may not know who you _were_ , but I know who you _are_." He kissed the top of her head, behind the golden crown that she oh-so deserved to wear."You're a good person, Evie... Just look at what you've done for all those kids in there. That's what matters."

Evie sat up again, this time looking into his kind eyes. "I love you, you know that?" She was surprised at just how easy those words rolled off her tongue now.

"Of course I know that," he chuckled, meeting her lips with a kiss. "And I love you, too."

She was grinning until she remembered the last piece of her trip she had forgotten to tell him. "But about my mother..."

Doug's eyebrows perked at her statement.

"I may have told her that you wanted to meet her... like next week." Evie continued, nervously.

Doug smirked. "Then let's do it."

She wrapped her arms around him almost immediately, kissing his cheek and murmuring another "I love you" in his shirt. Her body relaxed, finally feeling at peace for the first time in days.

"My first Isle visit..." he thought aloud as he hugged her back, his hands running across the sparkles of her dress. But Evie let out a giant yawn, interrupting his further thoughts of their visit. "Geez, Eve, you need to get some sleep."

Evie yawned again before she could say anything else. There was so much to think about since there was an increased number of VKs in her home. But Doug was right, she needed sleep, and to get out of the dress she had been wearing the entire day- it wasn't her most comfortable gown. 

They hopped off of their spot on the table and headed back towards her room. Making sure not to wake a sleeping Dizzy, Evie grabbed some pajamas from her dresser and even managed to find something of Doug's for him to wear to bed. She retreated to the bathroom to change and squeezed in a simplified version of her skincare routine through drooping eyes before returning to her bedside, where Dizzy was taking up half of the space.

Evie looked to Doug. "I'll just get some blankets and sleep right here on the floor-"

"No way," Doug shook his head, insisting she sleeps in her bed with Dizzy and that he would return to his spot on the ground.

Evie sighed. She _did_ need the bed, feeling heavy on her feet as she yawned again. But who knew what tomorrow was going to bring. With so many VKs to wake up to, they both needed to be well-rested. She looked back towards Dizzy and the unoccupied space again before making up her mind. "We can both fit."

Before he could protest, she crawled into her blue silk sheets, scooting as close to Dizzy as she could get without waking her. Laying on her side, Evie motioned for Doug to enter the remaining space. He followed the instructions, sliding in next to her and lying down flat on his back once he was sure he was past the edge of the bed. He lifted his arm, and Evie cuddled up next to him, tossing one arm across his chest to make sure he wasn't going to fall off.

"Goodnight," she mumbled against his chest, sighing contently when she felt his fingers in her hair.

_She slept like a baby._

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there you have it! The 7 in this series were all of the ideas I wanted to write when I started this, but I have come up with some more that I may end up adding if people will read it. I didn't get that much response on the last 2 in this series so I am not sure but thank you to everyone who has read and left comments/kudos! It is much appreciated!


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